My Borrowed Son

Secret and Safe

Chapter Five | Secret and Safe

It was the sound of her phone that awoke her a few hours later. The annoying ring was like a blaring siren, nearly jump scaring Amanda straight out of bed. She thankfully remembered that the little boy was asleep on her chest last time she was conscious and didn't sit bolt upright as soon as she heard her phone.

She swiped her finger over the phone and answered the call, which she saw was from Mel.

"Hey," said Amanda quietly. She glanced down and saw the little boy was still fast asleep nuzzled into her hand and laying limp against her fingers as she kept her hand pressed against her chest.

"Hey! I'm here," said Mel. Amanda could hear her voice muffled on the other side of my door in the living room, a further testament to the size difference of this apartment to her old house. Her chest clenched uncomfortably, but Amanda knew she would have a chance to really talk once Mel was settled in.

One last thing.

She hated to leave the little boy on his own, but Mel's thunderous voice might scare him. Amanda remembered noise complaints from other college dorms simply because Mel would get so excited and start talking louder and louder. Amanda never minded. It added to her friend's charm.

Still, it wasn't worth the risk.

Amanda carefully pulled the boy away from her chest and laid him on his bed in the little box she set up for him. He stirred but did not wake.

Perfect.

Amanda tiptoed out of her room and closed the door right behind her before scurrying to the door and opening it. Mel was a welcome sight. Instantly, Amanda felt completely overwhelmed.

Not only did seeing her friend bring back a rush of memories from her wedding and countless hours talking late at night about dreams and the future, but also seeing the massive basket of goodies Mel brought with her to lift Amanda's spirits was completely overwhelming.

"Sorry for the delay. Traffic. I hate traffic. I hate people, specifically driving people. Now! Am I just going to be out here like the vampire I am? Or are you going to let me in?" asked Mel. Amanda let out a choked laugh at their long-running joke and stepped aside.

"I give you permission to enter," Amanda stated. She was barely keeping everything together as her friend hurried in and whisked herself into the kitchen with her basket of goodies, medical bag on her hip.

One look around and Amanda could see Mel was piecing together what was going on in her personal life.

Oh, if she only knew there was something – someone – even more interesting in the other room.

"Sweetie, your place is... boxy," said Mel, trying to make a pun out of the ordeal. Tears began spilling over Amanda's eyes and, immediately, Mel's features softened, and she rushed to her friend's side. "Hey. Hey... I... sorry... I was just trying to make light of all this. I... well... I'd say let's sit down, but there's not a great place to do that."

Amanda let out a wet chuckle as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to smile through it. The embrace of her friend was making her feel a smidge better, but it was far from a cure. Like a leach, everything had suctioned onto her and was draining Amanda.

With Mel here, she would get a chance to let off some of that long pent-up steam and let one of her best friends in on everything that had happened.

"No, it's fine," Amanda sniffled. "I like it. It's making me feel better."

"Great! Then I'm going to keep going. Um..." Mel guided Amanda over to the counter of the kitchen and gestured for her to sit. "Well, at least with me around, you won't be very card-bored. Um... why are boxes bad at poker? They're too good at folding."